Limited service resumes on Werribee line after night of delays
Limited train services have resumed on the Werribee line after a night of major delays caused by a train hitting overhead cables, but passengers are advised to allow up to an extra 45 minutes of travel this morning.
City-bound services are running express between Laverton and Newport, while outbound services are running via the Altona Loop between Newport and Laverton, according to Metro Trains.
City-bound passengers from Seaholme, Altona and Westona were advised to take a train to Laverton and change for a city-bound service.
More than 60 buses are running in addition to trains.
It is unclear when services will be fully restored, as repairs continue today.
It is understood it could take several days for Metro to determine the exact cause of the accident, with a report expected to be released this week.
The disruptions started when a Werribee-bound train brought down cables near Laverton junction just after 4pm on Monday and lost power.
Some of the near-200 stranded passengers risked their safety by climbing out of the carriages and onto the tracks within metres of dangerous electrical wiring.
Buses replaced trains between Newport and Werribee for the rest of the night, leading to significant wait times for commuters.
One passenger who was on the train when the incident occurred described it as "a nightmare for me, the way cables started smashing our windows".
She said people jumped out of the train because no one came to their rescue.
Another Twitter user described overhead power cables snapping and smashing into the train, scaring passengers.
The loss of power shut down the internal audio system, meaning the driver could not tell the confused passengers that help was on the way and to stay on board. The doors can also be easily opened from the inside once the power fails.
Live electrical wiring was strewn across the tracks near where the passengers climbed out of the carriages and began walking.
It is understood that it is rare for trains to bring down overhead cabling. How the cables came to be in a position where they could be hit by a passing train was still being investigated.
"This was a very serious and unfortunate incident, and we sincerely apologise to Werribee line passengers for the disruptions to their service," a Metro spokesperson said on Tuesday morning.
"Overhead crews worked through the night to repair the damaged infrastructure, and a full investigation into the incident is underway."
Liberal MP David Davis, member for the Southern Metropolitan Region, slammed the delays on Twitter this morning as a result of incompetence.